Cleaning machine



@cih 29 11 92% C.. F.. GREG@ CLEANING MACHINE Filed 0G11. 28. 1925 VEA/TOR. @www Fl MM5?) j v4 /1 TTORNEY att ti' lll l `l lll i ana n. annee, or rnnrauaroara, nu l dit@ lil lib application tiled uctolber 2t, tutti. aerial nro. untill'.

bly invention relates to improvements in achines for dry cleaning delicate fabrics.

- ll have found that in the ordinary process of dry cleaning clothing and the lilre where fabrics of delicate texture are' placed in thel ordinary commercial cleaning machine and tumbled through the dry cleaning Huid the agitation to which these fabrics are subjected causes the threads to brealr'or causes encessive wear thereon. l

lt is. one of the objects of my invention to provide a cleaning apparatus in which, while lll dll

the fabrics to be cleaned are held against tumbling and agitation and rubbing against one -another .and the sides of the machine, the cleaning duid will be forced through the fabrics to'be cleaned, loosening and removing all dirt therein without injury to the fabric.

lfor the purpose of disclosing my invention ll have illustrated one embodimenty there of in the'accompanying drawings in which lfig. l is a perspective view of a `machine embodyng my invention;

liligi 2 is a plan view partly in section; lhlig. 8 is an elevation partly in section showing more particularly the construction of the cleaning fluid container:

Fig.. d is a bottom plan view of the restrain ing plate for the goods container, and

lfig. 5 is a sectional view of the goods container. i

ln the embodiment illustrated ll provide a tanlr or receptacle l which is adapted to conm 'tain the cleaning duid and which is preferably`cylindrical in, shape having a rounded bottom 2; The upper end of this tanlrv is closed by a bood 3 having a door l hinged at its upper end 5 and inclined outwardly and downwardly and thereby held cLflosed by avity.

e tanlr is supported above the door upon two pairs of legs tl connected together by an arcuate cross bar t and bolted or otherwise lill secured to the bottom of the taule.. lDlue to the.

ing a foraminous bottom 8 which is spaced some distance above the lower edge 2 of the cylindrical container. lplfhis container .is slightly smaller than the tanlr lv and is'provided on its outer surface near the lower edge with an annular flange lil which helps close the space between the container and the walls of thetanlr. 'lhe inner walls of the' container near the foraminous bottom 8 are provided with inwardly projecting cup t0- shaped fins ll. 'lhe goods are clamped in the container between the foraminous bottom and a foraminous clamp 12adapted to fit witbin the container and provided at diametrically opposite points with sliding bolt-s 55 13 adapted to take into restraining openings ld in the side walls of the container to there by lool: the clamping plate in adjusted positions in the container. The bolts are retracted and projected by mea-ns of an oscillating plate 70 l5 mounted at the center of the clamping member and connected bv links 16 with the did'erent bolts. 'l`hc 'bolts are practically mounted en a series of radial arms l? secured at their outer ends to the rim 18 to 75 which the foraminous material from which the clamping member is constructed is secured and on the under face of these arms and accordingly on the under face ofdthe clamping member ll provide a series of cupml lilze agitators lil.. l f

|"llhe container is vertically reciprocated within the tanl and to this end is provided on each sidefwith vertical straps 20 the upper ends of which are-connected through suit- @5 able slots 2l in the hood with the tops of reciprocating rods 22 mounted on the exterior .of the tanlr. 'llhese rods are guided in suitable guide members 23 secured on the sides of the tanlr and are reciprocated by means of t@ pit-man rods 2l connected with counter-balanced cranh arms 25 mounted on thedriving shaft 28. 'lhe upper ends of the rods 22 are connected to sproclret chains 27 which pass over sprocket wheels 28 on a shaft mounted @5 at the top of the hood and the opposite ends of 'these sproclret chains arev connected to counter-balance weights 29 so that the weight of the container may be so counter-balanced that a minimum of power is required for rem2 -ciprocating the same.

lln operation the fabrics to be cleaned are placed within the container and the clamping i memberl2 is clamped and loclred in position upon the'top of the same holding the fabrics wf securely clamped between the clamping meinber and the bottom of the container. The con-l tainer is then vertically reciprocated in the `cleaning fluid contained'in the tanl: and due to the extension of the cylindrical walls ofthe lill container beyond the faraminousbotto'm 8 and the annular n lu a large proportion of the fluid is forced up through the fabric as the container descends. 0n the reverse movement the cleaning fluid passes down through the fabrics and as the container is elevated to a point above the norma-l level of the liquid contained in the tank 1 the cups 19 and llact somewhat as suction members and agitators toincrease the pumping action of the liquid as it passes downwardly through the fabrics so -that during the reciprocation of the container cleaning fluid is alternately forced upwardly and downwardly through the fabrics thoroughly cleansing the same and at the same 'j is tainer.

-onlyby gravity and therefore in event of an explosion of the gases of the fluid within the container'will fly open under the force of the explosion so that no damage will be done to the apparatus. In order to insure the immedi ate closing of the door again I provide spring stops 30 against which the door strikes, so

that in event of an explosion taking place, which is liable to be followed by fire, the door will immediately fly closed and shut olf the escape offlames into the operating room.

I. claim as my invention: y1. In a dry cleaning machine the combination with a cleaning fluid tank, of a container for the goods to be cleaned having a foraminous bottom', a foraminous'adjustable clamping member adjustable-in said container relatively to the bottom-and constructed to clamp the goods'in said container between the clamping member and the bottom irrespective of 'the quantity of goods placed in the container and means'for reciprocating said container with the clamped goods into and out of the liquid contained in said tank.

' 2;- In a dry cleaning machine the combina-V tion with a tank adaptedto contain the cleaning liquid, ofa tubularreceiver for the goods j to be cleaned, means adjustable in said container for clamping the goods in said receiver against movement therein irrespective of the quantity of goods placed in said container and means for axially reciprocating said receiver into and out of the liquid contained in said tank while the goods are held against movement in the container.

3. In a dry cleaning machine the combination with a tank adapted to contain the cleaning liquid, of a tubular receiver for the goods to be cleaned, foraminous means adjustable in said container for clamping the goods in said container against movement therein irrespective of the quantity of goods placed in the container and means for reciprocating the container with the goods clamped therein into and out of the liquid in said tank.

4. In a dry cleaning machine the combination with a tank adapted to contain the cleaning fluid, of a tubular receiver for the goods, means adjustable in'said receiver for clamping the goods in said receiver intermediate of its ends irrespective of the quantity of goods placed in said receiver and means for axially reciprocating said tubular receiver into and out of the liquid -contained in said tank.

5. In a dry cleaning machine the combination with a tank adapted to contain the cleaningluid, of a receiver for the goods to be cleaned comprising a tubular shell, foraminous members in said shell intermediate of the ends thereof one of which is adjustable in said shell and relatively to the other for clamping the goods against movement in said shell irrespective of the quantity of goods placed therein and means for reciprocating said shell into and out of thecleaning fluid in said tank.

6. In a dry cleaning machine the combination with a tank adapted to containthe cleaning fluid, of a receiver for the goods comprising a tubular shell, a foraminous bottom for said shell mounted therein at a point above the bottom edge of said shell, a foraminous adj ustable clamping member adjustable in said shell relatively to the;I bottom and clamping the goods between it and said foraminous bottom irrespective of the quantity of goods placed therein to hold the goods against movement in the shell and mea-ns for axially reciprocating the shell into and Iout of the cleaning fluid in said tank.

CHARLES r.. GREGG. 

